About me
Raffi has dedicated his career to helping companies shape and implement their Intellectual Property strategies effectively and measurably.
“Freedom of choice is paramount,” he says. “Many companies use a combination of Open Source and proprietary software, and they should have that choice. Knocking down risks and barrier around Open Source gives companies that freedom to choose.”
A native New Yorker, he left the city and headed to Texas where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and simultaneously received two master’s degrees — an MBA and a master’s in Telecommunications Systems - while working full-time as a software developer at Bell Northern Research (the R&D arm of Nortel Networks). Raffi's career eventually evolved and he has been registered at the US Patent and Trademark office for nearly 25 years as a patent practitioner. During that time he has prepared and prosecuted over 1500 patent applications.
Prior to joining OIN 13-years-ago, Raffi worked at IPI with OIN’s current CEO, Keith Bergelt, and CFO, Ed Meintzer, as a patent valuation analyst. As the Chief Patent Officer of OIN, Raffi oversees the organization’s patent management functions. For the past 2 years, he has been focused on developing defensive patent strategies to neutralize threats. He helps OIN members — and the greater Open Source community — defend themselves from Patent Assertion Entities and he advances OIN’s mission to maintain an Open Source litigation-free zone. “We do not want any company to worry about adopting Open Source to advance their businesses, so we do everything we can to minimize risks and mitigate litigation to protect our community.”
In addition to OIN, Raffi is the founder and CEO of Proactive Patents which provides an array of offensive and defensive patent services.
